Betrayal
by FictionHobbit
Summary: What if Jack stayed Scab? Set to In the End by Linkin Park


In The End Jack and the Newsies with an appearance by Weasel  
  
Summary and Disclaimer: When Jack turns scab… This is a musical interpretation of what might have been going on in their heads during that scene. I'm using parts of the script. What if he stayed scab? I borrowed pretty heavily from the script. Oh and I don't own Newsies or the song In The End… the Newsies are Disney's property, no matter how hard I beg and pray *grin* and In The End belongs to Linkin Park I guess.  
  
  
  
Camera zooms in our boys marching outside the Gates of the Distribution Center. Some of them are shouting. "Stop the World! No more papes! Stop the World! No more papes!" There's a tiny scuffle between newsies as police block the gates, scabbers collecting on the other side of the gate. After attempting to break it up by himself, Dave finds Racetrack enlisting his help. Spot and Race silence the crowd. A stunned hush falls over the newsies. Weasel brings out a guy who looks suspiciously like Jack, except he's dressed up in a new suit. A slow incessant piano can be heard in the silence. The sparse use of notes speaks volumes.  
  
The silence breaks when Spot speaks. "Hey, Race, c'mere", an expression of disbelief clouding his features.  
  
Race stands beside Spot and asks "What?" as the piano notes become louder and more insistent.  
  
His voice shaking with disbelief and anger at the thought of the leader's betrayal, Spot demands that Racetrack "Just tell me I'se seein' t'ings. Just tell me I'se seein' t'ings".  
  
In shock himself, Race responds slowly "No, you ain't seein' t'ings. Dat's Jack. What's he doin'?"  
  
Indignant and thoroughly pissed Spot yells accusingly "He's dressed like a scabbah!". Jack can't look any of his former comrades in the eye, His mind wanders.  
  
//It starts with one//  
  
Mush steps up to the front of the group, hurt and confusion etched in his young face, he suddenly appears to be years older. "Jack? Jack, look at me, will ya? Come on, it's me, Mush. Look at me. What are you doin', Jack?" he begs for all of this to be some kind of nightmare, that he'll wake up in few seconds and Jack will still be on the newsie's side.  
  
Kid Blink and Boots have worked their way up front by this time, Blink's voice raises over the others briefly. It cracks with emotion "This ain't happenin'. This *can't* be happenin'. What are you doin' Jack? C'mon, what are you *doin'*?"  
  
Boots cut Blink off, staring with the same shocked eyes "C'mon. What is this? Where'd you get dem clothes?"  
  
Smiling a smarmy little smirk, Weasel answered for Jack "Mr. Pulitzer picked them out himself. A special gift to a special new employee".  
  
Realization smacks Spot in the face as he hollers "He sold us out!".  
  
//One thing I don't know why  
  
It doesn't even matter how hard you try  
  
Keep that in mind I designed this rhyme  
  
To explain in due time//  
  
Still unable to look the newsies in the eyes, Jack's mind has taken him away from the scene.  
  
//Time is a valuable thing  
  
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings  
  
Watch it count down to the end of the day  
  
The clock ticks life away//  
  
Fighting against the barricade of police Racetrack attempts to get at Jack "I'll give ya a new suit! Ya bum! I'll soak ya!".  
  
//It's so unreal  
  
Didn't look out below  
  
Watch the time go right out the window  
  
Trying to hold on but didn't even know  
  
Wasted it all just to  
  
Watch you go//  
  
Spot won't let Race have all the fun. Throwing himself at the barricade, he's red faced reaching for Jack to rip into him. "Hey, hey, hey! Let me get my hands dirty. C'mere you dirty rotten scabbah! Traitor!" A few newsies have to literally drag Spot away before he gets arrested again.  
  
//I kept everything inside and even though I tried it all fell apart  
  
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried//  
  
David stands staring at Jack as if he's a Delancey brother, only worse… he used to be one of them.  
  
Figuring this one was pretty passive, Weasel smiled, inviting him closer "Aww. You wanna talk to him? Come on, come on. Sure. Go right ahead." David approaches slowly, a cat of prey glaring at his kill. Jack looks up, his eyes challenging Dave to do something. Part of him knows he deserves anything Dave's anger. He knows all the newsies wish him dead. Part of him, the part that is still a newsie, does as well.  
  
//I tried so hard  
  
And got so far  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I had to fall  
  
To lose it all  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter//  
  
With sheer hatred and disgust written in his expression, David circles Jack; an inner debate is taking place. How should David deal with the traitor? He can feel the other newsies urging him on silently to rip Jack apart. He handles the situation differently. "So, this is why you didn't escape last night. You're a liar! You lied about everything. You lied about your father being out west, 'cause he's not out west! You didn't even tell me your real name!" David's rises, running his hand along the fabric of the enemy's new jacket.  
  
Laying on a thick defence of not caring what David thinks of him, because he feels the same way about himself, Jack shrugs, responding "So? What you wanna do about it Dave?".  
  
"I don't understand you," David visibly calms down. The newsies are behind him, watching and waiting for Jack to get what's due him.  
  
"Oh, so let me spell it out for ya. You see, I ain't got nobody tucking me in at night, like you. It's just me, I gotta look out for myself" Jack sneered, looking David up and down as if pitying a dog.  
  
"You had the newsies," David suggests, as if it is the obvious answer.  
  
Rolling his eye, Jack counters David's argument, trying to appease David so that David won't hate him forever, "Oh, what'd being a newsies ever give me but a dime a day and a few black eyes? You know, I can't afford to be a kid no more, Dave. For the first time in my life, I got money in my pockets. Real money. Money, you understand? I got more on the way and as soon as I collect, I'm gone, I'm away. Alright?"  
  
Their confrontation went on like this for a few more minutes. Unable to hold back his urge to rip Jack apart, David lunges at him. He's hauled away by cops.  
  
"Maybe you'd like a new suit of your own, huh?" Weasel offers, trying to pull David over to the dark side. He's not falling for it.  
  
"Never! Never!" he yells, as the cops usher him back to the newsies who have collected.  
  
^*^*  
  
That night all four of them are thinking back over the events of the past few days.  
  
//I put my trust in you  
  
Pushed as far as I can go  
  
And for all this  
  
There's only one thing you should know//  
  
Picturing Jack's face on each bottle his sling shot aimed for. Spot fumed over the loss of his friend and planned his revenge. He didn't miss one bottle.  
  
//I put my trust in you  
  
Pushed as far as I can go  
  
And for all this  
  
There's only one thing you should know//  
  
Jack resigned himself to believing this was the smart thing to do. He was taking care of himself by sacrificing his friends  
  
//I tried so hard  
  
And got so far  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I had to fall to lose  
  
And lose it all  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter// 


End file.
